Mark Allanson
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| posted on 19/10/03 at 07:33 PM |
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Methods of securing fuel tanks
I have noticed that most builders use straps for securing their fuel tanks. I want to bolt mine to the chassis using 1" angle welded to the
botton of the tank instead. Is there any reason why I should not do this. My tank will be a little wider and taller than most because my rollbar
supports will be in the way.
It will be only 600mm long, but will have a capacity of 5.7 gallons - which will be enough for me.
 
Rescued attachment Tank.JPG
If you can keep you head, whilst all others around you are losing theirs, you are not fully aware of the situation
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theconrodkid
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| posted on 19/10/03 at 07:45 PM |
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a tank full of squirt is quite heavy and there will be some strain on brackets,straps spread the load(my opinion only)
who cares who wins
pass the pork pies
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Viper
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| posted on 19/10/03 at 07:58 PM |
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Mark,
i have used 3mm flat bar welded to the bottom of the tank to bolt to the chassis rails (think you can see in the pics) my pennys worth about fuel
tanks is can you get it out after the bodywork is fitted? i have fitted mine from underneath so if anything should happen i can get it out without
upsetting the bodywork...
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CairB
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| posted on 19/10/03 at 09:03 PM |
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Mark,
I agree with Conrodkid. Due to the engines being on stiffer mounts, to reduce engine movement, the whole car tends to vibrate more than standard . To
make matters worse we remove the propshaft torsional damper and mount the diff directly to the chassis. This all adds up to more vibration which can
lead to cracks in fuel tanks if the mounting is too stiff. I remember welding cracked petrol tanks on Triumph Daytona's and Bonnevilles in the
past
IMHO a resilient mount, e.g. metalastic type bush would be better than bolting your 1" angle directly.
Cheers,
Colin
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Mark Allanson
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| posted on 19/10/03 at 09:05 PM |
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I intend to use 1" angle over the full length of the fuel tank so I dont think load spreading will be a problem. I didn't know if there
was an electrical reason for using straps - although I cannot see why.
As my tank will only be 24" wide, I think it should be a cinch to get out after the bodywork is fitted
If you can keep you head, whilst all others around you are losing theirs, you are not fully aware of the situation
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blueshift
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| posted on 20/10/03 at 06:05 PM |
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In the racing car is born prog on discovery h&l the westfield uses some kind of stick-on foam tape between the tank and the chassis mounting
straps.
just a thought.
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chrisg
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| posted on 20/10/03 at 06:13 PM |
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Mines solid mouted as it is in the donor - Vauxhall Chevette.
to be honest I think either will work but straps are usually easier as you don't need any lugs actually on the tank and straps are easy to bend.
The rubbers tops the straps "rubbing"the tank.
Cheers
Chris
Note to all: I really don't know when to leave well alone. I tried to get clever with the mods, then when they gave me a lifeline to see the
error of my ways, I tried to incite more trouble via u2u. So now I'm banned, never to return again. They should have done it years ago!
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Mark Allanson
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| posted on 20/10/03 at 07:39 PM |
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I won't have enough room between the tank and the rear panel to allow the straps to be bolted down, so the angle iron alternative is what I have
come up with. I like CairB's insulation idea and will have another little think!
If you can keep you head, whilst all others around you are losing theirs, you are not fully aware of the situation
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stephen_gusterson
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| posted on 20/10/03 at 09:29 PM |
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i was originally gonna bolt mine down - even put the tabs on for that.
Then I thought it wasnt a great idea in a crash - the tabs could be to rigid a mount, or tear the tank and make it leak.
So, I used two angle iron runners - front and back along the long edge of the tank. The tank kinda drops snug into the gap. I then made up two, one
inch strip U brackets with foam strip, and used them to clamp the tank down to the bottom runners.
Possibly over complicated, but worked for me!
atb
steve
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